Virtual Modelling Engineer Review

I enjoyed it a lot. I was put into a team of great people for Virtual modelling (CAE). The graduates also organised a series of fun events throughout the summer, including going in a Jaguar F-Type.

I felt reasonably valued by my colleagues. I didn't get any typical "undergraduate" work or get asked to make coffee. If someone was ill, I was asked to fill in for them on the testing side (using the laptop in the car).

The first month I was given great guidance. I was given a mentor and a manager. The manager was responsible for me, but my mentor had used all of the software and was able to help me. However my mentor got offered a job somewhere else so it meant that no one in my whole department had used 2 of the 3 software packages I had to use. This meant I struggled, but people were very helpful with the physics and maths side of my project, and I got help from someone in a different department for one bit of software. It was planned that I'd have lots of help, it just didn't work out like that. Not JLR's fault.

Sometimes I could be very busy. IT were a pain and could often spend alot of time there, but generally I was busy trying to complete my project.

I was given full responsibility for my project and trying to finish it on-time. I was also asked by HR to help with some tasks. You were able to get more responsibility for things as long as you volunteered for them.

I am now familiar with 3 new pieces of software that I will be able to use in Uni, and in the future if I return to the car industry, (one was car specific). I have also gained an understanding of what a 9-5 working life is like.

The atmosphere was calm and chilled out. No body minded if you went to one of the 5 coffee places in the building (Costa or Starbucks). You could take your lunch break whenever you wanted and could vary your work times as long as you were in between 8:15am and 3:30pm and did your 40 hours per week.

It was set up well, minus the fact that my mentor left for a new job 1 month into the placement but JLR couldn't have foreseen that happening. I got help from others when needed. My manager was very well organised and checked in regularly. Although my end of placement review was late.

I did not get much training unless it was business critical. Other undergraduates got to be trained to drive cars around the track etc, but as my department were short on money, unless I absolutely needed something it was not permitted. I got no additional training which was disappointing for me.

Generally, if you get a summer placement and make a good impression you'll be invited back in the future. The grad scheme prefer to take people who have already worked here for previous placements. From what I've heard its quite hard to not get invited back, as long as you work hard.

Yes. We didn't live very close to each other, but always ate lunch together and did other activities that the grads organised. We also went to the pub and played football etc. There were numerous group chats for us all, although the main socializing tended to stay with UG's in the same department.

I lived in my uni accommodation and commuted for up to an hour as it worked out cheaper. From what I understand the area is average. It isnt expensive like houses in London, but there aren't many rundown places that would cause rents to be cheaper like in student areas.

Not very good as far as I'm aware. There were a few pubs but nothing very "studenty" nearby. The nearest places were Leamington which was at least 20 minutes away and this doesn't have many clubs. Coventry would be after that at 40 minutes away. Birmingham for an hour which is a bit far.

There were plenty of opportunities to get involved in thing outside of work. The main events would be sports that were set up by GradNet which is the network of graduates in the company. There were also quiz nights and other activities to get involved in as long as you asked.